About
the ISV®
Triglyph
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The ISV logo is a
triglyph of three historic symbols:
The upper symbol is
the Menorah. It was used by the Israel of Bible days as a symbol of the nation.
The center symbol is
the Magen David. Sometimes called the "Star of David," it became a
common symbol of Israel after the destruction of Israel in 70 A.D. under the Roman general
Titus. Some scholars believe that the Magen David was not commonly used as a
symbol of the Jewish people much before the twelfth century A.D. Today the Magen David
is the official national symbol of the State of Israel. It appears on Israel's national
flag.
The lower symbol, the
ICHTHUS, is that of a fish. This symbol was used by the early Christians as a symbol of
the Christian believers. In the Greek language, the word "fish" (ichthus) is an
acrostic that spells out the words "Jesus Christ, Son of God, [is] Savior".
The ISV triglyph logo
as constituted here is a combination of all three historic images, thus symbolizing the
historical roots from which New Testament era believers (the ICHTHUS) emerged as a direct
result of Old Testament prophecy (the Menorah). Because the message of the entire counsel
of God consisting of both Old and New Testaments is for Jewish believers also, we have
symbolized the present and future hopes of modern Israel by the Magen David.
In the Spring of
1996, ISV Foundation's Executive Director William P. Welty observed the logo at
The Galillean Experience, a Christian-owned gift shop in Tiberias, Israel. The owners
of The Galillean Experience claim that the logo was discovered in an archaeological
dig from the late first century to the early second century, A.D. If this claim is
accurate, the existence of this logo means that the Magen David has existed as a
symbol of dispersed Israel from at least the late first or early second century, A.D. --
nearly a thousand years before the traditionally accepted date for the first attestations
of the Magen David.
Because the ISV's
triglyph is a historic symbol, it is in the public domain. Accordingly, the ISV Foundation
claims no copyright ownership of the generic logo as it has been portrayed in various
archaeological artifacts. However, the ISV Foundation has registered the rendering which
appears on the home page of this web site as a trademark to indicate ISV Foundation's
exclusive rights to utilize the triglyph device for use in Bible translations and Bible
study tools produced by various ministry subsidiaries of the ISV Foundation (including,
but not limited to those produced by the International Biblical Research Center).
Here's a
list of other organizations on the web that use the ISV triglyph in a more
generic and public-domain sense. Thanks to Ramon Baca of
Nothing but Ruach
for providing this list to us, by the way:
Triglyph
artifacts provided courtesy of Ruth Reddell of
Christian Floral
and Gifts. You may also
click here to email
Christian Floral and Gifts in order to obtain more information about
the triglyph. Or you may call +1-303-337-3131 to order reproductions of the
images listed above.
Photos
by Robert Fischer. Copyright © 1999 by Olim Creative Products, Ltd.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission. |
